Join our emergency meeting of the Luddite family support group

With a trip to grandma's house on the calendar, chances are you're going to be …

One thing a lot of us who write for and read Ars Technica have in common is that our technical experience often puts us in the position of having to provide tech support for our unenlightened family members. Whether it's Grandpa wondering why his PC is running so slow or your sister trying to set up her new printer so all the computers in the house can print to it, chances are we'll all be asked to play happy helpdesk worker during our trips home for the holidays.

Today, we're collecting the best preventative tips for family tech support. The most inspired ideas from the comments below will be promoted up into this story. We'll start things off with three suggestions of our own.

Forced OS updates: One way we've found of cutting down on family tech support issues is by making sure Windows Update is active and set to download and install automatically. For Mac OS X using family members, we make sure Software Update is set to check for and download updates automatically.

Up-to-date browser: Whatever browser you recommend to your family, make sure it, too, is set to download and install updates automatically. Nobody wants to hear from Grandma about pages not looking right because she's still running Firefox 3.0.

Password management: Keeping track of multiple passwords is tough, but we don't want our loved ones using their cat's name for their banking, Amazon, and Netflix logins. Hook them up with a password management program like 1password, for <$DEITY'S> sake.

What else can we do to make our family helpdesk burdens easier? Share your ideas below.

Lots of helpful replies so far! Keep them coming!

Matakage: Check browser for add-ons/plug-ins/toolbars that they don't need or have accidentally installed.

ebbv: Set up a Dropbox/whatever folder and make it easy for them to put stuff into it and tell them to put important pictures and documents into there, then set up an offsite backup of that folder yourself

GFKBill: I carry a USB key around with Malwarebytes and MS antispyware on it. Install them everywhere you go.

Demani: Bring a label maker: I make sure the cable modem is marked "MODEM" and the Wifi base station "WIRELESS ROUTER". Put the wireless password, theadmin passowrd, and the units IP address on a label (wireless on top, the other two on the bottom). It isn't a security risk since someone IN YOUR HOME is probably stealing stuff like your computer and TV anyway.

- WiFi password make sure they have one and that it's decent, and tell them not to share their WiFi with anyone they wouldn't share their bank account info with.

- Add well known crap sites to the blacklist in their Google account (assuming they have one) to help their results and to help prevent them from wandering into malware.

- Make sure they know how to reset their router and reset their DSL/cable-modem (and which one is which.) Maybe leave them a sticky note to say which lights on their DSL/cable being out mean there's a problem they should call about.

- If their monitor is really crappy get them a decent one. You can get a really nice monitor for like $200 and a good monitor makes more difference to how the average person experiences their computer than any other single upgrade.

- Set up a Dropbox/whatever folder and make it easy for them to put stuff into it and tell them to put important pictures and documents into there -- then set up an offsite backup of that folder yourself.

1. If it is a Windows PC...prepare to camp at the computer for the duration.I have always come away scarred for life....

2. Mac updates: Lion or not to Lionize. Still not sure about this update.

3. Take iPad as gift. If the recipient is consumer of content then it works really well.BIG bonus is the Apple Store support that comes standard for training.It is a life giving, releasing me from service that the older generation love to use.

1. I carry a USB key around with Malwarebytes and MS antispyware on it. Install them everywhere you go.

2. Learn to say "no". You're on holiday, they need to know it's unfair to expect you to work. If you were a Doctor would they expect you to sit down a give a consult? Ok, maybe they would, and you dont wanna be a grinch, but dont get taken for granted!

Whenever you're fixing a computer for relatives as a free service, make sure it's actually worth it to you. The barometer I use is, "will I want to hear from this person in 2 months?" If the answer is no, then I won't touch their computer, no matter how trivial the problem.

"Thank you for fixing things!" turns into "WHATEVER YOU DID BROKE MY COMPUTER AND DELETED ALL MY PICTURES!" way too easily.

The ideal solution is to properly educate them on how to use a computer, but I've never found the time, energy, or desire to do that over the holidays.

I need to get my Dad set up with LastPass. I spent an hour here at my parents trying to figure out how to get my laptop, my wife's laptop and her iPad on their wireless network. At least they are using WPA2-Personal with a good PSK. My Dad finally found a word doc that had screen shots of the config and I was able to log into the router and get the PSK. Never again.

The only way to win is not to play. However, telling your relatives "Nah" when they ask for computer help isn't realistic, and more to the point, it's just mean.

Frankly, the best thing I ever did was getting my parents off of Windows and onto OS X. The volume of malware and bad stuff that can infect OS X is so low compared to Windows that it might as well not even exist. My mother is, God love her, an untrainable click-machine--she will click on anything and everything. She'll click on every e-mail attachment, every spam link, every single flashing thing on the screen, and she refuses to read dialog boxes and clicks "OK" on whatever they say. Getting her on OS X has at least reduced the scope of threats she faces.

My dad is a lot more careful, but he gets enraged every time the computer asks him for any password at all. It's hard for me to understand, but he seems to believe the computer should just magically know who he is and every time he gets prompted to log in, be it to OS X or to his bank's web site or to iTunes or anything at all, he starts steaming and muttering about the "fucking computer" and "all this password bullshit". Password management tools like 1Password have helped somewhat, but they aren't a panacea, since some web site logins don't get recorded quite right (1Password is particularly bad about mixing up e-mail addresses with usernames) and 1Password obviously can't plug passwords directly into non-web things.

Keeping both of them on Chrome plus Adblock Plus and Flashblock helps tremendously, since it keeps them from clicking or even seeing things in their browser that could be malware. Considering the number of malware web sites my mom visits from clicking on random spam links and links in bot-generated e-mails from all of her infected friends' computers, this is an absolute necessity.

The root of the problem, unfortunately, is that there are few ways to be proactive about family support--tactics that the IT department at work can apply to users don't often translate well to family, or will be met with (sometimes justifiable) anger. Family support must almost always be done reactively, and I fear that the tech-savvy will always be putting out fires for our families, just like your uncle the mechanic is going to be the first guy you call when you have a car problem, or your brother the carpenter the first guy you call when the fence in your back yard falls over.

The only way to win is not to play. However, telling your relatives "Nah" when they ask for computer help isn't realistic, and more to the point, it's just mean.

Frankly, the best thing I ever did was getting my parents off of Windows and onto OS X. The volume of malware and bad stuff that can infect OS X is so low compared to Windows that it might as well not even exist. My mother is, God love her, an untrainable click-machine--she will click on anything and everything. She'll click on every e-mail attachment, every spam link, every single flashing thing on the screen, and she refuses to read dialog boxes and clicks "OK" on whatever they say. Getting her on OS X has at least reduced the scope of threats she faces.

My dad is a lot more careful, but he gets enraged every time the computer asks him for any password at all. It's hard for me to understand, but he seems to believe the computer should just magically know who he is and every time he gets prompted to log in, be it to OS X or to his bank's web site or to iTunes or anything at all, he starts steaming and muttering about the "fucking computer" and "all this password bullshit". Password management tools like 1Password have helped somewhat, but they aren't a panacea, since some web site logins don't get recorded quite right (1Password is particularly bad about mixing up e-mail addresses with usernames) and 1Password obviously can't plug passwords directly into non-web things.

Keeping both of them on Chrome plus Adblock Plus and Flashblock helps tremendously, since it keeps them from clicking or even seeing things in their browser that could be malware. Considering the number of malware web sites my mom visits from clicking on random spam links and links in bot-generated e-mails from all of her infected friends' computers, this is an absolute necessity.

The root of the problem, unfortunately, is that there are few ways to be proactive about family support--tactics that the IT department at work can apply to users don't often translate well to family, or will be met with (sometimes justifiable) anger. Family support must almost always be done reactively, and I fear that the tech-savvy will always be putting out fires for our families, just like your uncle the mechanic is going to be the first guy you call when you have a car problem, or your brother the carpenter the first guy you call when the fence in your back yard falls over.

Bring a label maker: I make sure the cable modem is marked "MODEM" and the Wifi base station "WIRELESS ROUTER". Put the wireless password, theadmin passowrd, and the units IP address on a label (wireless on top, the other two on the bottom). It isn't a security risk since someone IN YOUR HOME is probably stealing stuff like your computer and TV anyway.

For people you like to help, set up a LogMeIn account (with your own email address) and set them up under it. Sure its not useful for them to get in remotely, but if they have to call you for help anyway they shouldn't be doing that.

Setup an admin account with your own name and password- its so frustrating to have someone type in their own password everytime when working remotely, or having to track them down every time they wander off.

Make sure the clock is set to synchronize with a time server- its one of the smallest things but can have some crazy repercussions (fromonline purchase failure, to backup issues to crazy email filing).

And for these people I am just putting Chrome on- it autoupdates both itself and Flash so they are as patched as they can be at all times. Its not a perfect browser- but it helps a ton for non-updaters.

I've always had luck with Logmein. I installed it on the HTPC I built for my dad and also on the laptop we set up for my girlfriend's mom. It's even installed on the gaming rig I built for a friend. Being able to visit and clean up the occasional "bad decision" is one thing but when you and your family/friends are not all in the same region, it can be a huge help to be able to log in and have a realtime chat while personally skimming through programs and settings to help diagnose a problem. It's not a panacea but it certainly makes life easier if you are their go-to person for tech issues.

I usually need to engage in a lengthy round of spyware/toolbar removal, usually with the help of a malware removal tool like Spybot S&D. Then I check to see that their antivirus is in fact functioning and up-to-date.

The most common complaints I deal with - "it's really slow", "it opens up all these windows", "I accidentally clicked 'ok'"...

I would recommend in a Windows environment removing admin privileges from the default account, and creating an admin account with a different password - with the understanding that things should only be installed if you're REALLY sure you want to.

- WiFi password make sure they have one and that it's decent, and tell them not to share their WiFi with anyone* they wouldn't share their bank account info with.

So next time you move in to a place and the ONLY cable modem service takes a week to show up, then the 10 bucks an hour tech doesnt get it working the first time, you can look at, but never connect to the 5 AP's you see because of passwords....

you will thank me.

For

Not

Putting

A

Password

On.

*Those roving gangs of wifi pirates are out, hide the children! They steal your wifi then you can haz no internets!

I know it is hard, and it might get some angry glares. Sometime people need the financial slap across the wrist from a computer repair shop before they will take precautions. I would ignore speed limit signs while driving if I had judge in my pocket that could "fix" all of the tickets, but avoiding all of the hardship would just make me more likely to get killed in a single driving event.

If you do not live across town from your relatives, stay out of their computers.

Here's a few steps that I like to take for particularly infection-prone users:

- nearly all of the above suggestions- lock the user down to a limited account and password-protect the elevation prompt- on Vista and 7, enable Software Restriction Policy to only allow execution from UAC-protected directories (%programdata%, %systemroot%)- educate the user that normal use of the PC should never require an elevation prompt (I usually get guilty answers about toolbars and download sites when I ask what they were doing)- leave a copy of TeamViewer Quick Support for screen sharing

After several visits with a friend, in which I was de-funkifying his computer, locking it down, and telling him how to avoid such problems, I told him that the next time I had to do this, I was going to charge him. That put a stop to it, and made future visits much more pleasurable.

I don't enjoy desktop support. If I can avoid it I will. When it comes to family, there's no getting out of it though. I generally apply updates, and scan the system whenever I'm at a family member's house. Over the years, they've learned not to visit every link in an email, and not to run random executables. That takes care of the bulk of it.

Depends how you define winning. The key is making sure they don't ask for help a second time.

Some time tested ideas to get you started: Ruthlessly uninstall every bit of software that's not a web browser or Office. Demote everyone to non-admin users and "forget" the admin account password. Claim every problem requires a wipe and reinstall. Convince them the computer is broken and they just have to buy a new one (bonus points if you keep the old one for yourself). You get the idea.

I second LogMeIn for those with broadband. For those relatives with satellite or dial-up, just tell them the internet is highly overrated and that they are used to it going slow so they can wait until you trek out there to fix it.

I keep a thumbdrive with their various passwords in Keypass. This way there is some kind of backup for when they forget them. The paper with the admin passwords for their computer and wifi router will invariably get lost.

I second LogMeIn for those with broadband. For those relatives with satellite or dial-up, just tell them the internet is highly overrated and that they are used to it going slow so they can wait until you trek out there to fix it.

I keep a thumbdrive with their various passwords in Keypass. This way there is some kind of backup for when they forget them. The paper with the admin passwords for their computer and wifi router will invariably get lost.

Again, I recommend a labelmaker- and I put them on the inside of the computer case, or under the service panel on the printer- and I don't tell them about it. But if it ever is needed- whoomp, there it is.

Make them get Chrome OS and enjoy your newly found free time. Functionality of Chrome OS is limited for a geek, but about right for a luddite. It automatically updates the OS, has no (knock on wood) viruses, and no software installs.

Additional bonus, Chrome added a "share screen" app to make it easy to troubleshoot, if the need arises.

I know a lot of people want to flame Chrome OS due to it's thin client approach and limited functionality, but it is the perfect computer for about 95% of the population.

I don't say anything about osx, but just from looking at the gear I carry, most of my family have started buying Macbooks. That's really cut down on the support requests.

Still need to set up Time Machine for my dad, but osx software update runs itself. Mostly they think Firefox is the hot new browser, will have to get them onto Chrome with its flash autoupdate at some point. Adblock is a good suggestion too.

1) Free, well supported antivirus/antimalware program--- It should be free because otherwise many programs have annual renewal fees that can get confusing or forgotten--- I'd recommend Microsoft Security Essentials--- Uninstall older, abandoned antivirus programs.

2) A good adblocker will prevent many, many problems. However, educating family about it could be tricky.

3) Good remote access program. What's the state of the art for that for Macs these days?

4) Give them the address/phone of some good local shops as needed for hands on tech support. Make sure none of these is the Geek Squad.

2) General behavioral tip: Instead of trying to dissuade a person from using a program entirely, offer them an alternative. Be aware that if they've paid for something, though, they may feel obligated to use it, even if it truly sucks (Norton). This is an example of the sunk cost fallacy; it has nothing whatsoever to do with the software in question.

Carrying a flash drive with MalwareBytes and MSE is a great suggestion, I have a pile of utilities on that drive I carry with me. CCleaner is a must-have for registry cleansing and other stuff, I've sped up lots of systems with it. There's another tool for XP registries but I forget its name. Spybot has the immunization tool.

I'm usually pretty aggressive with the uninstall, especially BHOs.

The biggest problem I get is the relative who thinks he knows what he's doing and insists that Mom installs Norton or McAfee.

Memorize this phase: Nothing can ever protect your system if you click YES to allow the bad stuff in.

I limit my PC time based on the quality of the company. If I have to hear Uncle Ralph talk about "that god dammed n__ in the White House" then I'll spend all day on that PC, whatever it takes, just keep the drinks coming. If my cute cousins are there, ten minutes--max.